


The Rat and the Raven

by SaikaKuchiki



Category: Vampyr (Video Game)
Genre: Also I hate his cockney, It is such a pain to write, Pacifist!Jonathan, Ryan is a bastard, who enjoys being a bastard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-28 16:25:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19816045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaikaKuchiki/pseuds/SaikaKuchiki
Summary: Ryan Frost and Dr Jonathan Reid in the same room, absolutely nothing can go wrong here.





	The Rat and the Raven

Jonathan woke up slowly, glancing up through the boarded window to the street lamp just outside. He didn’t feel entirely ready to face this evening, he’d just defeated the ichor formerly known as Doris Fletcher and honestly things didn’t look like they were going to be getting any simpler any time soon. He ran a hand down his face with a tired sigh, still not ready to rise just yet.

“Come on doctah, I am no’ a patient man, and we ‘ave business to discuss,” a voice spoke suddenly and Jonathan snapped fully awake at once. He sat up sharply, staring wildly around the dilapidated room before his gaze fell upon a pair of eyes glinting in the darkest corner of the room.

“Who are you? And what business could we possibly have?”

“The name is Ryan Frost,” the man leant forward in his chair, putting his weight on the cane he held between his legs. He smiled a menacing smile, his fangs on full display, creating the illusion of there only being eyes and teeth amongst the mass of curly hair beneath the man’s fitted blue hat – a dangerous predator barely hidden by civility. Something about this man seemed more violent, more dangerous than the other ekon he’d met. “And my business with you, Dr. Jonathan Reid, is Ascalon.” Jonathan was very much on guard now, so although he felt no loyalty to the Ascalon Club – more exasperated by them really – he resisted the urge to roll his eyes, he didn’t want this man knowing any more about him than he already did.

“I… am new to the Ascalon Club, so I am not the best person to talk to for any business you may have with them.” Ryan’s smile stretched a little wider at his sentence and Jonathan was slightly apprehensive as to why, but thankfully he wasn’t left in the dark for long.

“Tha’ is exactly why my business is with you, because you aren’ one o’ them” Ryan leant back in his chair at this point, seeming completely relaxed and in control of the situation. “The a’itude o’ those pricks is outdated, the elite an’ powerful takin’ more power and money from ev’ryone else. I’m lookin’ to change that’, to… break up their li’le club and pu’ the power back where i’ should be.”

“In your hands you mean...” Jonathan glanced around the room, taking stock of where everything was, because despite the apparent civility and coolness of the conversation it felt like it could erupt to violence at a moment’s notice, and he would need a weapon if it did. Unfortunately he’d left his actual weapons in his coat which was hung up on the far side of Ryan. There was a knife on the table to the side between them, and he was certain that he could reach it if it came to that.

“If tha’s where things fall, ‘oo am I to refuse?” Suddenly Ryan’s face turns dark and determined, losing any hint of a smile. “An’ tha’ is ‘ow things will fall.” Ryan was glaring at Jonathan so severely that he didn’t doubt for a moment that this man would do anything to get power.

“And what does that have to do with me?” Jonathan asked calmly, but Ryan merely smirked before answering.

“Now, I know gen’rally wot the twats are doin’ - they aren’ nearly as discree’ as they like ta think they are – bu’ the one thing I don’ ‘ave is someone on the inside.”

“And since you believe I’m not loyal to them you think I will work for you.”

“No. I know you aren’ loyal. You’re no’ one o’ them, you still care abou’ the dregs and scum o’ Whitechapel and the docks.” Jonathan frowned slightly, he had been disconcerted with how up-to-date the Ascalon club was with his movements, but it at least made sense. They had the money, and the influence and the man power. But what did this man have? Who on earth was this Ryan Frost?

“So why would you think I’d be loyal to you?”

“It’s the only alternative, and I pay well. You’re new to the whole ‘vampire’ thing, bu’ ya need ta pick a side.” That was as close to a threat as Jonathan was comfortable to get and in a burst of shadows he leapt for the knife. But Ryan seemed to move in sync with him, and as Jonathan’s hand wrapped around the knife something cold and sharp cut deeply into the back of his hand. Instantly the smell of blood filled the room and Jonathan watched as blood oozed around the sword that Ryan was slowly pressing deeper into his hand. With a snarl Jonathan went for a wild slash at Ryan’s face, trying to get him to back off or at least flinch, but his claws clashed against the cane that Ryan was holding in his other hand but it seemed… shorter than before. Then Jonathan noticed the pommel on the sword, there had been a blade hidden in the cane.

“I am on no one’s side,” Jonathan snarled, slowly retracting his claws and pulling his hand back, away from Ryan. Ryan dropped the cane back down to his side, but kept Jonathan’s other hand trapped with his sword. “My only concern is stopping this infernal epidemic and saving London. I don’t care for all this political nonsense!” Ryan bared his fangs at Jonathan again in a grin, finally releasing Jonathan’s hand and allowing him to apply pressure to the wound until it healed.

“Your loss.” Ryan wiped the blood from the blade before stowing it back in his cane, slowly meandering to the door. “This will ‘appen with or without ya, Ascalon will be brough’ down.” He opened the door, silhouetted against the full moon outside, except the eyes that glinted at Jonathan. “This was a one time deal doctah, so don’ expec’ to see me again. Bu’ if those twats get any hin’ of what I’m plannin’, o’ their impendin’ demise-” Suddenly with a burst of shadows Ryan was directly in front of Jonathan, his claws sunk deep into Jonathan’s gut. Jonathan let out a grunt of pain, hand curling around Ryan’s wrist but not able to pull the man’s claws out of his stomach. “Tha’ ‘ospi’al o’ yours will make a beautiful pile o’ rubble an’ ash!”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Jonathan ground out through gritted teeth. There was a pause when Ryan just let the words sink in before a slightly manic smile spread across his face. With a bark of laughter he brutally ripped his claws from Jonathan’s flesh.

“Nevah tell me wot I wouldn’ dare do. You’ll always be wrong!” Ryan flicked some of the blood off his hand before shadow-stepping back to the door and then out into the night without another word.

Jonathan felt the wound in his stomach slowly stitch itself back together, thinking back over the entire encounter. Considering how much Ryan had seemed to know about him, he had no doubt that he could and would follow up with that threat. With a long, slow breath Jonathan allowed himself to calm down and relax. Ryan Frost wasn’t the biggest thing that he had to worry about, but he had certainly put himself high up on that list. But as with at least half of the things he’d found out about since becoming a vampire, if he allowed himself to dwell on it he’d never get anything finished. So with a monumental effort he put Ryan Frost from his mind, instead thinking about the next step in stopping the epidemic.


End file.
